Nissan VIN decoder
Nissan VIN decoder
Nissan builds the Altima, Rogue, Pathfinder and Frontier in Tennessee and Mississippi (1N and 5N), the Sentra, Versa and Kicks in Mexico (3N), and the Z, GT-R and Armada in Japan (JN).
Nissan WMI codes
The first three VIN characters. Verified against the NHTSA vPIC database.
| WMI | Manufacturer | Vehicle type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1N4 | Nissan North America, Inc. | Cars | United States |
| 1N6 | Nissan North America, Inc. | Trucks | United States |
| 3N1 | Nissan Mexicana, S.A. De C.V. | Cars | Mexico |
| 3N6 | Nissan Mexicana, S.A. De C.V. | Trucks | Mexico |
| 5N1 | Nissan North America, Inc. | SUVs, vans & crossovers | United States |
| JN1 | Nissan Motor Company, Ltd | Cars | Japan |
| JN8 | Nissan Motor Company, Ltd | SUVs, vans & crossovers | Japan |
What to know about Nissan VINs
- A Nissan VIN starting with 1N or 5N was built in the US, 3N in Mexico and JN in Japan.
- Rental fleets buy many Altimas, Sentras and Rogues. Check commercial use in the report.
- Check the transmission service records on high-mileage CVT models.
Nissan models you can decode
- Altima
- Sentra
- Versa
- Rogue
- Kicks
- Murano
- Pathfinder
- Armada
- Frontier
- Titan
- Leaf
- Ariya
- Z
Any 17-character Nissan VIN from the 1981 model year onwards can be decoded. Check open recalls for free on NHTSA.
How a Nissan VIN is built
All 17-character VINs for vehicles sold in the US follow the same structure.
Example: 5NPD74LF5LH611542
| Position | What it means | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country / region | Where the manufacturer is registered: 1, 4, 5 and 7 = United States, 2 = Canada, 3 = Mexico, J = Japan, K = South Korea, W = Germany. |
| 2–3 | Manufacturer | Positions 1–3 together form the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), assigned to one maker and vehicle type. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle descriptor | Manufacturer-coded details such as model line, body style, restraint system, engine and gross weight rating. |
| 9 | Check digit | A 0–9 or X calculated from the other 16 characters. It catches typos and many fake VINs. |
| 10 | Model year | A letter or number for the model year. The codes repeat every 30 years (see the table below). |
| 11 | Assembly plant | The factory that built the vehicle. Plant codes are defined by each manufacturer. |
| 12–17 | Serial number | The production sequence number that makes the VIN unique. |
VIN model year chart (10th character)
Codes repeat every 30 years. On cars and light trucks, a letter in position 7 means the later year.
A
1980 · 2010
B
1981 · 2011
C
1982 · 2012
D
1983 · 2013
E
1984 · 2014
F
1985 · 2015
G
1986 · 2016
H
1987 · 2017
J
1988 · 2018
K
1989 · 2019
L
1990 · 2020
M
1991 · 2021
N
1992 · 2022
P
1993 · 2023
R
1994 · 2024
S
1995 · 2025
T
1996 · 2026
V
1997 · 2027
W
1998 · 2028
X
1999 · 2029
Y
2000 · 2030
1
2001 · 2031
2
2002 · 2032
3
2003 · 2033
4
2004 · 2034
5
2005 · 2035
6
2006 · 2036
7
2007 · 2037
8
2008 · 2038
9
2009 · 2039
The letters I, O, Q, U and Z and the number 0 are never used as year codes.
Where to find the VIN on a Nissan
- Lower corner of the windshield on the driver’s side, readable from outside the car
- Sticker or plate on the driver’s door jamb (open the door)
- Title, registration card and insurance card
- Engine bay, often on the firewall or the front of the frame on trucks
- Seller’s listing or the dealer’s window sticker
The VIN on the car, the title and the listing must all match. If they do not, do not buy.
VinCode report · $5.99
Before you buy a used Nissan, check its history
Title brands, accidents, total-loss events, odometer readings, owners and service records for the VIN, scored with the VinCode Score.
- Title brand check
- Accidents & damage
- Odometer chart
- Owners & usage
- Service records
- VinCode Score
How do I find a Nissan’s model year?
Read the 10th character of the VIN and match it in the model-year table on this page.
Is a Nissan VIN decoder free?
Yes. Decoding is free. A full VinCode report with title, accident and odometer records costs $5.99.
Is the Nissan VIN decoder free?
Yes. Decoding a Nissan VIN is free. A full VinCode report with title brands, accidents, odometer readings and owners costs $5.99.
Does a Nissan VIN show accident history?
No. The VIN only encodes how the vehicle was built. Accident, damage and title history come from records reported for the VIN, which is what the VinCode report shows.